The Montgomery County Council wants a bus rapid transit system for the Corridor Cities Transitway, a proposed 15.3-mile transitway that would connect the Shady Grove Metro station near Rockville to Clarksburg.
A unanimous vote Tuesday highlights a shift among council members to go with a system it previously rejected in an effort expedite the CCT and research-oriented growth near Gaithersburg and Rockville.
In 2009, the council voted 6 to 3 to recommend to the state light rail as its choice for the project. Tuesday, no member objected to the proposal to change the preference from light rail to a bus system.
The change came after a study commissioned by the Maryland Department of Transportation found that a bus system could be built at least 10 years sooner than a light rail transit system and for less money. As a result, it would have a comparatively greater impact on economic development, taxes and employment. A bus system was estimated in late 2010 to cost $491 million compared to $772 million for light rail.
A bus rapid transit system would be similar to a light rail system. Both would run in dedicated lanes, have multiple door boardings, offer advanced fare payment, and have real-time transit information on location.
“I really do believe ... if we hold our breath and wait for light rail, we’re going to be holding our breath until we turn blue,” said Council President Roger Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac, who in 2009 favored the bus system.
Fundamentally, tires are what differentiate a bus rapid transit system from a light rail system, he said. “Because once you get on the vehicle you won’t know the difference.”
Councilman George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park disagreed that a bus system would be an experience similar to riding rail; however, having transportation infrastructure in place to allow the science corridor to grow is critical, he said. Leventhal voted in 2009 for light rail.
"I am willing, with some mixed feelings to go along with the consensus that a different mode will advance the project sooner," he said.
Councilman Marc B. Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park, a leading proponent of bus rapid transit, said the economic impact would be profound.
"I doubt if the same companies will be there 10 years from now if this does not go forward now," he said. "So I think this is actually even more critical than what the economic analysis shows."
A recent analysis indicated that a bus system would produce 40 percent greater economic impact than light rail, or $2.232 billion versus $1.598 billion. It indicated a bus system would produce 55 percent greater employment or 588,071 person years versus 380,659 for light rail and that it would generate 75 percent greater tax impact, or $416 million versus $238 million for light rail, according to the study.
"I do think it's the right decision at the right time for the right reasons," said Councilwoman Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, who favored light rail in the 2009 vote.
However, Floreen emphasized that the council has an obligation to extend the CCT as soon as possible beyond its proposed ending at COMSAT, a former satellite communications center north of Germantown, north toward the Frederick County line to the Clarksburg Town Center. The science corridor is not the only community the CCT is intended to serve, she said.
There is no question that rapid transit vehicles are the future and that Montgomery County is positioning itself at the forefront with the CCT project, said Councilman Craig L. Rice (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown. By encouraging constituents to get out of their vehicles and use mass transit, the council is doing the right thing.
The CCT Coalition, which has long preferred light rail, also has agreed to change its recommendation to bus rapid transit, assuming that the system will be funded and built much sooner than would rail, its Chairwoman Marilyn Balcombe wrote to the council Jan. 6.
In a Dec. 6 letter to the council, County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) indicated he too now favors a bus rapid transit system.
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